The only thing that stops the dust is the rain. It’s a sweet reprieve, but there is no middle ground. The land is either as dry as the Betty Ford clinic, or as wet as the ocean floor. Everything can be seen from the ridge overlooking Armadillo as John Marston gently bounces along atop...

Every year, I take a risk or two when buying games. I wasn't taking a risk when I bought Bioshock or Call of Duty 4; I was almost positive that they were going to be fantastic. With Kane and Lynch: Dead Men, I was taking my first risk of the year. I hesitated, holding off from buying it because of all the mediocre reviews I'd seen, but yet I stayed interested, simply because I thought it looked like it had immense potential. So finally, I bought it, not really knowing what to expect. And boy, was I blown away.

Kane and Lynch aren't nice guys. They are flawed, violent and ruthless. And their story is unbelievably compelling. Kane and Lynch: Dead Men tells the story of two men on their way to death row. A mercenary group called The7 busts them out of their transport and takes them to a hideout. Kane owes the group a helluva lot of money because on a mission with The7, something goes terribly wrong, leaving twenty-five Venezualens dead. Kane has The7's money because he thinks they're all dead. Well, they aren't and now Lynch has to see that Kane gets the money back. in three weeks. Oh, I forgot, Lynch has a split-personality disorder that makes him even more murderous and crazy when his evil side is showing. The story is fantastic, and without it, this game would be just another faceless shooter with some cool mechanics.

The gunplay isn't near revolutionary; it's just well-done, somewhat strategic action that's a lot of fun to play. The only problem I had with the mechanics is the cover system, which is at times unpredictable, but it's not a huge deal. The squad A.I. isn't great, but the way in which you control them works fine, and it's pretty fun to use. The guns all feel different, and all are fun to use.

The graphics certainly aren't the most advanced, but the art style is great, and Kane and Lynch both look good. The character models are fantastic.

The voice acting and score are superb and really put you into the game. Kane and Lynch are really deep characters only made more complex by the fantastic voice acting. I love how the story is told in-game by the arguments and conversations the two have in the middle of firefights. This makes the realistic story even more realistic and interesting.

I also love the multiplayer, which I'm sure you've heard about, and it is simply the most innovative multiplayer I have ever seen. It really captures the essscence of the game and makes you feel like a criminal even outside of the main storyline. I wish that all shooters would have multiplayer directly connected to the single-player experinence rather than just being capture the flag, deathmatch and team deathmatch.

This game is fantastic and blew away my expectations. Though not perfect, and is not my favorite game of the year (that honor goes to Bioshock, which is also the best game I have ever played), I feel that it has been criticized unfairly. Don't listen to the critics complaining and nitpicking about this or that, because this is one of the most original experiences you will ever play. The gunplay works, the graphics are fine, and the sound and story are among the best. This little underdog, Kane and Lynch: Dead Men, deserves to be on everyone's top ten list. BUY IT.